


Not-So-Generic Love Stories

by peronazone



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, One Shot Collection, i know that was bad, i really don't know if this is any good, let me know if you like it?, one.. shot! at a time, this is going to be a collection of oneshots to help me improve my writing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-23
Updated: 2018-09-06
Packaged: 2019-06-29 14:36:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15731412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peronazone/pseuds/peronazone
Summary: Original Prompt: Sanji works at the Baratie and spots a man with green hair and a camera outside it. At first, he just assumes that the man is photographing the restaurant- it’s not uncommon for photographers to do that- but, instead, the man appears to be just photographing the small cafe and bakery across the way. Sanji decides to go out and have a word with him about that.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, this idea expanded out from the prompt by miles. Even I could not expect what twists and turns my mind would take this idea on.
> 
> I've become so attached to the idea at this point that there may be more to their story in the future. There's actually a lot that I can expand on from the oneshot itself if I wanted to. But who knows? Only time can tell.  
> I hope you enjoy reading and feel free to leave any advice or criticisms! I'm a work in progress writer at the moment. :)

 

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“ NICE DRINKS “

\---------------------------------------

 

_**I** f you ask just about anyone, they would say that Sanji practically lives in the place…_

 

The Baratie restaurant has been in business for over fourteen years and its reputation precedes it. Known for its elegant interior and unassuming exterior, the restaurant under the management of a certain man has made it into a legend. It’s the only known restaurant to receive stock from the sailor’s tales holy grail of seafood, the All Blue.

With a reputation like that, the employees of the establishment must put out their best work every day. Understandably so. However, there’s one employee who goes to the next extreme for that.

Sanji is the first to arrive at the Baratie every day. What’s odd about that though is that Sanji lives nearly the farthest from the restaurant than any of the others.

Some staff members theorize that he secretly owns a car that he parks somewhere else so that nobody knows about it. Some obscure theories suggest that he’s the head leader of a biker gang who covers up his tracks everywhere he goes including hiding his means of transportation…

 

More accurate theories backed by witnesses suggest that he only dons running clothes and literally jogs to the restaurant before the sun has even risen but who would want to believe the most likely option. Even if he managed to get photographed in the process more than once.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

 

   Late. He’s late.  
Normally, it wouldn’t make that much of a difference for him but this day in particular was a special one. The Baratie would be unveiling its new wine collection at a special event for frequent customers and journalists.

If the marketing campaign is successful, the collection would find itself to shelves in stores and get the Baratie’s name out there in a major way.

It’s an important day for not only the restaurant but for Zeff as well and it must go off without a hitch. He’ll make sure of that.

That being said, seeing someone crouch down by the restaurant’s sidewalk sign and chalk down something on it unauthorized… Let’s just say Sanji decided to pick up his pace a bit.

“Oi!! What do you think you’re doing?” He calls out as he rushes over, ready to give this vandal a piece of his mind.

The face that turns towards Sanji sends him to a pause.

Zoro.  
He hasn’t been anywhere near this place in two years. What would he be doing here now? Why is he back? More importantly, why didn’t he say anything about coming back? He could’ve used some damn warning!!

“Huh? Oh.. dart brow, you still work here?” Zoro says, snapping Sanji out of his thoughts. Headphones are tugged down and Sanji can faintly see a camera in his hands pointed towards the sign.

“Of course I do! Why wouldn’t I be, moss head?” He snaps out in return to Zoro. “Don’t avoid the question anyways.” He adds with arms crossing over his chest.

Zoro stands up to his full height with a grunt. He’s wordless in response as he lifts the camera strap off from over his neck to face the screen of it towards a skeptical Sanji.

It takes a moment of unspoken conversation before his eyes go down to the screen to see a picture of the Baratie chalk sign full on it.

 

> Nice Drinks   ~~~> 
> 
>          
> 
> ^ Sounds suspicious.   
>  Wouldn’t risk it.

 

“I was going to send it to you to surprise you.” Zoro says with eyes scanning the area around with a look of indifference before going back to Sanji. “You’re the only one I know for sure still lives around here.” He almost seems to correct himself.

Zoro can’t possibly know. There’s no way he knows how big of a day this is for Sanji. He’s never been like that. Why would he want to surprise him on this day of all days?

Sanji drops his stiff posture and sends his hands to the back of his head instead to undo the small ponytail he puts his hair in for his jogs.

“Whatever did I do to deserve such a pleasant surprise?” He mutters out with a drip of sarcasm to his tone despite genuine interest.

 

“We’re friends, aren’t we?”

 

Sanji fumbles with his hair tie and nearly drops it. The question left Zoro’s lips so honestly that he feels a ping in his chest of regret for questioning in the first place.

“Of course-!” Sanji stops himself short as he looks to Zoro’s face…

 

The smirk on his lips, the quirked brow- all signs of a smartass who got his way. Sanji played right into his hands.

_That’s not happening!_

He swings his leg up to kick the side of Zoro’s torso to be stopped by an arm, as expected. “-not!!” He corrects himself quickly. It's only an additional frustration to hear Zoro start laughing at that as he drops his leg and pulls out his pack of cigarettes from his pocket.

"There's the shitty cook I remember." Zoro says in a surprisingly fond tone. Easily, that tone could be mistaken to have the same sarcastic ring of Sanji's tone before but still that little hint of something else has Sanji's mind reeling again. Why is this happening? Did he eat something foul this morning to explain the uncomfortable feeling sinking into his chest or is he actually...  _happy_ to see Zoro again?

 

He grunts and flicks his lighter multiple times in an attempt to get the fire started- decided not to give that remark any comment. In a way, he is the better man for not instigating further, right? Nami would be proud. Hell, Robin may be as well. Ahh, how he misses his lovely travel companions. He wonders how they're doing. Maybe he'll call them later today after the event to catch up.

"Oi, ero-cook. Off in la la land again? Which poor soul is it this time?" The voice Sanji was pointedly ignoring pipes up.

"I'll have you know that any woman would be happy to know that I'm thinking about them." Sanji retorts in a huff of smoke. He takes this time to inspect the man before him.

One thing he notices off the bat is that his sense of style has definitely improved over the last two years. He sports a dark green bomber jacket with some random patches on it that Sanji doesn't pay attention to aside from one with Zoro's three swords on it. There's curiosity for a second on how he managed to get something as specific as that but he doesn't look into it. Instead, he glances to the shirt under the jacket to find that it's actually a button up shirt.

Sanji nearly calls Zoro out for it right then but that's when Zoro crosses his arms over his chest- causing Sanji to notice just how much the other man has been working out since they last saw each other. Now, Sanji curses the fitting button up on the other's torso.

"I don't think a woman would appreciate it if they knew what else goes on in that perverted head of yours." Zoro almost seems to call him out. "Anyways, I'm guessing you're waiting for me to clean up the sign, right? I wasn't just going to leave it like that, you know." He mutters out as he tugs down his bomber jacket sleeve possibly to use as a makeshift eraser. He turns and crouches down at the sign to start cleaning up the board. Sanji can't help but think about how he could have asked if there was an eraser instead of just immediately decide to dirty up the only decent clothes he owns.

He lets out a 'tch' instead of responding as he looks away from Zoro. Sanji's got a more important struggle going on in his head to deal with. He thought he dealt with all these thoughts when Zoro left last time but him returning obviously just brought them back again. Zoro is the one person most unlike his time. He can't possibly be thinking about getting involved with him. However, seeing how he's changed has left him with more questions than ever. He can't just leave it at that. Especially since he hasn't even gotten the last word in.

There's nothing but silence between them and the silent rock music playing from Zoro's headphones for a moment before Sanji suddenly sits down on the sidewalk closer to Zoro's level. He feels Zoro's eyes on him and he glances over for a moment to see Zoro just looking over his shoulder at him with a confused expression. He huffs out a breath and moves to sit down on the ground as well, moving a hand to take his phone out of his pocket- the sound of music shutting off following just after. The headphones rest on his neck where they've been since the start of their conversation... and Sanji realizes that he kept his eyes on Zoro the entire time he was doing all that like a weirdo. He resists the urge to hit himself on the head and turns his eyes to the sky.

"So, what are you doing here? Honestly, this time."

"Usopp wanted some photos from where we would hang out for options as the cover of his next book. He even got the witch to call me so now I have to give her some sum of money for talking back when she told me to drop everything to come out here. I'm getting paid, yeah, but I don't need to be in debt to her any more when I don't have to be."

"Stop calling Nami that, you disrespectful bastard." Sanji pipes up with a glare. "Besides, it's not like you had anything better to do. I seem to recall you spending more time sleeping than doing anything else." He adds after a puff of his cigarette, eyes scoping out the nearest place to dispose of it.

A one-eyed glare seems to remind Sanji how much may have changed. "Oh, I don't know- maybe my _job_?"

"You have a job now? Ah, congrats. Never thought it would happen." He pauses for a second and taps his knee a few times. "What do you do?" He finally asks.

Zoro looks over Sanji with almost an eye of consideration before shuffling in his spot and glancing down at the sidewalk. "I have two jobs aside from photography." He mutters out without continuing.

Well, now Sanji's just even more curious. A grin takes to his lips before he removes the cigarette, snuffing it out and flicking it to the nearest trash bin. "You can't just leave it at that now. You've only made me more curious." He says with an air of amusement before bumping shoulders with Zoro. "I won't judge you too much. Don't you remember all the odd jobs I took in college?"

"Oh, yeah.. nobody could have worse summer jobs than you, dartboard. Thanks for the bode of confidence."

"I can kick you off the property right now."

"Ahh, you won't- I know you won't. You wouldn't get answers if you did." Zoro says with a chuckle. He leans back on his hands and watches the cloud with an expression on his face Sanji has never seen before. "Honestly, I don't know if you'd believe what my jobs are. Maybe you'd understand one but the other is a bit out there." He mutters out. He grumbles under his breath and leans forward again, scratching the back of his as if he needs to figure out his words.

"For one, I work at a dojo as a trainer. Mostly dealing with kendo but there are a few self-defense classes that I'll train as well when nobody else is available. Then there's my other job," Zoro trails off and looks at Sanji. "..at a daycare center. Apparently, I'm really good with kids." He says quick with a slight shrug.

 

Oh, wow.  
A lot _can_ change.

 

"Huh.." Sanji says almost dumbfounded.

If Zoro was expecting a laugh, that's definitely not what he's getting. Sanji reaches out and pats Zoro's shoulder, causing the other to look at him in surprise. "Congrats, man! I'm glad you've found jobs that make you happy." He says with a smile.

The expression on Zoro's face is just confusion even as Sanji's hand leaves him. "You're not.. surprised?"

"Pff- Of course, I'm surprised! I'm just here wondering what daycare center was crazy enough to hire the man most likely to scare children!" Sanji says with a scoff. "But it seems like the job is important to you if it took you so long to come out and say it. I wouldn't want people judging what makes me happy either."

Now, it's Zoro's turn to be dumbfounded. He hums out a sound and Sanji can't help but notice the small smile on his face. Zoro's always looked good with a smile... but it makes Sanji feel good that the smile was because of him. They sit in silence again.

 

After a moment, Sanji pushes himself back up to his feet and brushes off his clothing. Zoro looks up from his camera screen to him and smirks a bit. "Going to work?" He questions as he sets the camera down on his lap again. 

"Yup.. I think it's about time." Sanji replies with nod of his head before tapping Zoro with his foot. "You should get to work as well. You know how fast Usopp writes." He says before turning to the double doors of the Baratie, fishing for the keys in his pocket.

"Tch- I didn't think about that.. you're right." 

He looks back to Zoro from his spot at the doors and grins at him. "Then you better hop to it, greenie." 

"Fuck you, eyebrow." Zoro retorts gladly with a middle finger.

Sanji just laughs as he opens the door and shuts it behind without looking back. He has a lot of preparations to make for today. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

A few hours later and the Baratie is officially open to the public. The event is kicking off at full swing and every table has one of the new Baratie original wines. The announcement just went off that everyone would be leaving the even with mini wine bottles of every available flavor and the press are eating it up. Everything is running perfectly and, in the background, Sanji is being congratulated for setting up the restaurant so well. However, he can't help but feel something is missing even as he takes every compliment with pride. He excuses himself from everyone else and leaves the kitchen out the back door.

The designated smoking section is mostly bare at this time but there are a few customers and cooks alike standing or sitting there conversing as Sanji approaches. He waves off congratulations from his fellow cooks and takes a seat down on the bench as he lights his own cigarette.

Is he still hooked up on the fact that Zoro was so near by the restaurant today? Did he really expect him to be there to support? Was he joyed to see Zoro there? Maybe. How ridiculous is that. Like as if Sanji actually wanted to see him there! Problem is, he's starting to think he did.

"Dammit.." He grumbles under his breath as he bites the cigarette between his teeth, a hand going up to make a mess of his hair. 

He left this behind in the past! For fuck's sake, Zoro did as well. It didn't work out. Why is he still stuck hoping that it could? His whole evening is thrown out of orbit because of one shitty man that he shouldn't have even seen in the first place. If only he'd been on schedule as usual. Perhaps then, he would've missed Zoro showing up in the first place. He should be in there enjoying the celebration with everyone...

 

"Hey, did you guys hear about the photographer out front? Do you think he thinks the event is happening at the cafe across the way or what? He's stood outside there with camera and lights set up pointed in the wrong direction! What media company hired that guy.. honestly!" 

Sanji's attention darts over to the conversation happening in the smoking section. A photographer? No.. it can't possibly be-

"The guy with the weird scar? Yeah, I saw him on my way in..-" By that point, Sanji had already stopped listening.

Weird scar? The guy has green hair and that's the first thing they noticed?

Sanji's cigarette is already snuffed and his feet are taking him to the front of the Baratie- the long way. He needs to think of what to say. Does he want to go on with regrets about how things went? Does he want to change it? Does he want to make amends? Does he want to apologize for being an idiot in denial or for how bad their first attempt at a date went? Apologize for not keeping in contact when they went different ways or apologize for being afraid to? He can't excuse his own behavior. Can he? Gods, he needs more time to think!

His feet stop the moment he sees that familiar tuft of green hair.

As the other said, there he stands.. dressed in a suit he wasn't wearing earlier, surrounded by rose petals on the ground, and facing away from the restaurant. What the fuck.

 

"Oii!! Zoro, what the fuck do you think you're doing?" Sanji marches up to the other man to say. Forget whatever else he had planned to say- this is more important.

"Nothing much,  _Sanji_. Since when are we calling each other by name again?" Zoro returns with precision as the camera flashes indicating a photo taken. 

"Since you decided to do something stupid. What are you wearing?"

"A suit. Are we ending everything with a question now?"

"Of course not!" Sanji snaps out before going silent, tapping his foot and staring at the scene Zoro's set up with an edge of unease about him. Does he say it now? 

"Alright." Zoro replies simply. Completely unaware of Sanji's internal strife. How lucky that is.

 

"Listen, Zoro-" "Go on a date with me."

Sanji freezes to his core. The words on his tongue held back into place by a single sentence. The anxious tapping of his foot coming to a halt all at once. He heard that correctly, he's sure. Zoro just asked him to go on a date. With this whole set up, it must be at the cafe. How cliche. Zoro set this all up. He set it up for him- that much is obvious. He came out all this way for this? Most likely. Zoro is simple minded like that at times. He also knows full well the mistakes made the first time around. Is this time going to be better? You never know unless you try. His eyes land on Zoro with a shock to them but a relief sinks into him as well. Looks like Zoro's decided how this all was going to go from the start. Zoro took the words right out of his mouth before he even had them. He should have been the one to say it first though. Missed opportunity. He was so close! Zoro just had to say it first. Ahh, and he was going to go into a whole spiel about it, too. Zoro just has to be straightforward like that.

Honestly, Sanji wouldn't have it any other way... But he has to give him hell for it first.

"Idiot." Sanji mutters out before kicking Zoro's shin. "Why'd you have to be the first to say it? Impatient marimo bastard.." He adds with a glare that Zoro just smiles at.

"Be quicker next time, asshole." Zoro replies holding out an arm with a cocky expression.

"Oh, so there will be a next time, huh?" Sanji returns with a raised brow as he hooks arms with Zoro, a challenging tone to his voice but a smile to his lips.

"There can be as many times as you want. As many times as it takes to make things right." He says.

 

"What kind of line is that?"

"Not a good one I'm guessing? I'm working on it."

"It could definitely use more work, yeah, _marimo_."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

And so.. Zoro took Sanji on a date to a casual bakery in formal wear. Surprisingly, not the strangest thing to come out of that evening. They talked and got caught up- it turns out that Zoro had always been only an hour or so away this whole time. He's traveled to different countries but always found himself coming back. It's almost sappy how it all turned out. The last date ended in a fight then school separated everyone and he couldn't make up for the mistake. Apparently, they both thought they were ignoring each other which wasn't really true. Neither of them wanted to be the first to break the silence. Zoro claims someone else had to break his silence for him but, no matter how many times Sanji asks, he won't spill who. It can't be some big secret. Sanji doesn't understand the persistence.

Zoro also found out about how Sanji hasn't dated anyone since their last one. He wouldn't let that go for a few minutes. Admittedly, Sanji had no excuses for that one. It was almost like a bad breakup- Sanji couldn't move on from it. Well, he tried to but nothing ever really worked out. Something tells him fate was just keeping all the beauties away from him. That's the only explanation he can come up with for why he's ended up with this brute instead of anyone else.

The date goes well though. Much better than last time. They even swing by the Baratie before the end of it to enjoy some of the festivities there in each other's company. The time for Sanji to show Zoro all that he's been working on in their time away. He developed a few of the wines himself and even helped out with a few others. Not that he's one to boast.. but something in him just wants to give Zoro reasons to be proud of him. After-all, he has kept up with Zoro's work through the years as well. They've both had their successes. They still need to talk about their failures.. but there's always the next date for that.

 

There  _definitely_ will be a next time.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: "Everyone keeps trying to set us up but we've been secretly dating for years."  
> Found on Pinterest.
> 
> If you can't tell by now, the theme I'm going for is to write various ZoSans of various modern aus. Not all follow the same plot line though I may continue a oneshot in another oneshot at some point. I'll make sure to indicate that if I do!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took a lot longer to write than I expected so apologies there but I really wanted to put more effort into the next oneshot than the first. I think I did a good job on that! I'm much more proud of this oneshot than the other. It's a bit longer but bare with it! I hope you enjoy it and feel free to let me know if I made any mistakes.

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“ JUST STRANGERS “

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_"When do you figure we should tell everyone?" A voice speaks in a memory as a scene of a rooftop in June plays in the mind. The feelings of a gentle caress tousling golden locks and warmth from a secure embrace flood the senses with a wave of comfort as the memory flows onward. The gentle chuckle of a man and the rumblings of it through the figure laying atop his chest._

_"You know, I can't really be bothered to tell anyone. Let's just let them find out on their own." A second voice says, slower in tone as though on the verge of sleep. Gentle melodies drift through the air as the night comes alive on the ground below but the attention of the two men cannot be seized. A quiet scoff sounds out and clothes shuffle as a change in position occurs to land blue eyes on the lazy auburn of another._

_"If we leave it up to fate like that, my friends would never know!" Comes a light exclaim mixed with humor._

_"Neither would mine.. but that's the fun of it, right?" The huskier voice replies, planting a kiss to the top of the other's head. "We can even bet on it. I'd say my friends won't find out for a year and I'd bet $100 on that." He challenges with an air that exudes little concern at all for the fate of his hard-earned money._

_A hum rings out softly before the slimmer male lifts himself up to hover over the other male, staring into his eyes before kissing his lips. The kiss lasts for a few seconds before he pulls back with a smirk on his lips and eyes still shut from the kiss. "I'd bet $200 on two years for my friends." He challenges in return._

_They have a short pause before sharing a laugh, both settling back down to their previous position._

 

_"Deal."_

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

**== DECEMBER, 1 Year Later ==**

"Sanjiii! Are you even listening?" A feminine voice snaps the man in question from his thoughts. Blue eyes land on an impatient red-head, tapping her foot and standing directly in the path with her arms crossed. Quick! What was she talking about?

"Ah, Nami-swan, my sincerest apologies! I got distracted by all the lights decorating the shopfronts and thoughts of delicate kisses under the glow with a lovely woman such as yourself." He almost says in a sing-song tone of voice, waving his arms about in a wide gesture and hearts practically in his eyes.

The woman appears unfazed by the hint of a flirt, very used to them, and sighs out a puff of white from the chill surrounding the air. She turns around and starts walking again, leaving Sanji to catch up with her pace if he wants to not be left behind. He laughs lightly as he does.

"You want to know what would be a good present for your foodie friend- I heard you. I just don't know enough about them to know what they may want specifically so I'm thinking. Could you tell me more about them? I could always make something they could enjoy that you can just pick up from my house the day of.." He says casually, walking with his hands in his pockets as if to look cooler in the presence of the woman before him.

Nami looks over with a sparkle to her eyes at the news. "Really, Sanji? You'd do that for me?" She acts as if she's surprised. It's a definite way of getting something thoughtful as a Christmas present while also not having the pay any expenses in the process. That's totally possible in all occasions, right? Nami appears to think it is as this is not the first time she's asked Sanji to make something food related for one of her friends. He's alright with it though. More stomachs fed, more happy faces. The world could use more of that.

Sanji just nods with a hum in response as he continues in his path, eyes looking around at the scenery. It really is beautiful around here this time of year. There's a giant Christmas tree in the center of the shopping center with dancing lights to some music that can't be heard from the current distance. He looks over at Nami, the lights around reflecting off her jewelry. She's pretty well off for herself in terms of money so he has to wonder why food is the only route she goes for gifts. Context clues implies that it's only two people who ever desire food for presents. Unusual but curious nonetheless.

"Hey, Sanji.. would you like to be my date-" Oh no. "-to a Christmas gift giving party with my friends? I want to introduce you to them all and, hey, you can say we're dating as a plus even though we're not and that's never going to happen." Oh, okay.

There might've been a slight stumble in surprise but Sanji gathers himself back together quick. His hand takes one of hers loosely in his hold as he walks around to the front of her, stopping them both from moving further. Using every element of his charm, he leans down to place a kiss to the back of her hand. His eyes stay on her face and a smile takes to his lips as he leans back. "It'd be my honor to accompany such a fair lady." He says softly.

Nami smiles back before chuckling at the act, taking her hand back to pat him on the shoulder. "Honestly! What am I going to do with you?" She says with a shake of her head.

Their friendship has always been like this. Sanji tries out flirts on Nami and Nami takes them all in stride. Even gives critiques from time to time. It's sorta like they are both each other's wing man. Best friends in school and common double daters. Well, until one of them found a person to click with. Nami found a partner first. A beautiful woman with long blue hair and a stunning smile. Sanji is nothing short of proud for her. Ever since, Nami's been just ever-so-slightly trying to set Sanji up with just about anyone. He can only assume that meeting the friends would be another opportunity for that. To be fair, it would be something they would be able to share if they were both in a relationship so he can understand the gesture. They go back to walking as Nami spots another store to go into.

 

"You need to get yourself an actual girlfriend." Says the voice from the other side of a changing curtain Sanji sits before. "Did you know that a lot of my friends assumed you were my significant other?" The voice proceeds to add. He did not know that, actually.

"Your friends know about me when I don't know about them?" He decides that's the only thing he's going to question.

There's silence on the other side before a loud sigh and very dramatic sigh reaches his ears. The subject will be changed that easily. He knows conversations like this from experience. She'll start to go on about why her friends know about him and give the excuse she always uses. By the time she's done explaining herself, she'll have forgotten about setting him up with someone. Victory! For the time being...

"If you knew about my friends, what would be stopping you from finding them? Trust me, I'm saving you from them! Knowing them is a headache alone. They wouldn't leave you alone if they knew you were the person I get all my food related gifts from. They think that I just buy them from some store and remove the price tag. You deserve more credit, yes, but you know how they are. I'm sure I've told you about the bottomless pit that is a few of their stomachs. You'll get to meet them at the party though so why are you complaining? I'll introduce you to everyone. It's your decision after you meet them whether you want to risk everything to tell them what you make." She huffs out in almost what seems to be one continuous breath. 

Okay, that may have surprised Sanji a little bit. He shuffles his hold of Nami's discard pile and looks off down the way to the wall length mirror at the end of the dressing room hall. "I do trust that you'll introduce me- just as you have to trust that I'll be comfortable with your friends. Any friend of yours is a friend of mine.. you know this. If you're worried that I won't like them, don't be." He replies softly, turning his eyes back to the curtain as if he could look to Nami. "If it makes you more comfortable, you could always tell me more about them. That would help." He then adds jokingly.

In response, an article of clothing Nami was trying on comes flying out of the curtain to hit Sanji. It doesn't hit that hard but he doesn't manage to catch it. "Oh, shut up!" She replies with a quick laugh. "Just for that, I'm not telling you anything about them! Find out on your own." She decides.

He laughs in return as he picks up the shirt that fell to the floor, folding it up to put with the rest of the discards. "I will! Thank you very much." He says. "Now, let me see what you've picked out. You wanted my advice, right?" 

"In a second!!" She exclaims in return, as if he was in a rush.

The shuffling sounds of fabric reach Sanji's ears until suddenly the sounds stop. He notices that Nami stopped moving around, it seems. Just as he's about to ask out of concern for his friend, he hears her voice.

"Hey, Sanji..?"

"Yes, Nami?"

"You're a really good friend."

The words bring a smile to Sanji's face. He ducks his head bashfully but can't help thinking about the secrets he's kept from her. Honestly, $100 isn't too much. He could afford to lose one part of the bet. At the party.. he'll tell her there. She'll be supportive! He knows it. Will she? She has to be! It'll be fine. The party is a week away, he has time to prepare himself. For now, focus on the moment.

With that, he turns his eyes back up to the curtain just as it sweeps back to show Nami in a beautiful silver short dress. He makes sure to give plenty of compliments on it.

 

Next few days are spent shopping. While Sanji doesn't really know a lot about the people he's going to be meeting, he still wants to have something to give to them all. Context clues from Nami have given him the impression that a gift exchange is common to happen at the party so he'll get something for the gift exchange! Simple, right? Not really. He can't put himself under the impression that Nami's friends are like her because he's not really like her yet they're friends anyways. For this, he has to think outside of the box... which mostly includes him asking employees at shops for suggestions. Some suggestions have been helpful and he's taken a lot of advice for his shopping trips. He still gets the impression that he may be missing something. So, he thinks he'll make some things! That should be appreciated no matter what. The only things he's really bought are craft supplies, cooking supplies, and gifts for Vivi and Nami as he knows what they would want.

The problem with Sanji making some crafts though is that he has little experience with craft making. He is very handy with.. well, his hands but that's probably not the same as making a work of art. He figures it won't be easy but he does have the time for trial an error. Over the next hours alone, he gets quite a few crafty sort of things done. In one case, he made a flower crown by hand and that is something he's proud of alone. From there, he makes several ornaments to give around and more assorted crafts before moving on to prepare some foods for the event. So far, so good! Just a bit more work to go.

 

The day of the party is a rush for Sanji. Items of his clay art are still hardening or drying from paint hours before the start of it and he doesn't even know how long it'll take to get to this place. He gets all the food he's bringing set up in nice decorated bins while he waits and even prepares a homemade tea to bring as well in his anxious pacing about. Finally, he taps the clay to find it dry and takes it up in that same motion, dumping it in a gift bag with wrapping paper to prevent it from breaking.

Transporting the varies presents to his car takes another few minutes from his time but, luckily, he happens to arrive just in time. The location for the party is honestly really beautiful. The house is like a mansion and it's in a fenced off neighborhood possibly for rich people. With Nami's money loving ways, he can't be surprised that this would be a place she would want to party at. He finds a place to park relatively easily.

One thing not as easy is the part following parking- unloading.

Sanji doesn't have enough arms to carry all that he's brought so it's definitely a relief when someone starts walking towards the house just as he starts struggling. A man a bit younger than him with curly dark hair and a long nose. He doesn't even need to call out to him for help before the man approaches in a bit of a speed walk, taking some of the wait off his shoulder with a smile. Seems like a nice guy so Sanji smiles back.

"I'll help you get these inside.. you didn't need to bring so much though! You could bring store bought cupcakes and people would still appreciate the effort." The sudden helper says while looping gift bags all along each arm. However, something takes him for a pause and he slides the bags off one arm, extending it out to Sanji possibly for a handshake. "My name's Usopp, by the way. You must be Zoro's new boyfriend." He then says so offhandedly. 

If Sanji had a cup of water, he'd have done a spit take. How does he know about that?? Is he a friend of Zoro? Did Zoro lose the bet earlier without telling him? The shock must be apparent on Sanji's face because Usopp retracts his hand and his brows furrow in knots before some sort of epiphany hits him. Then he hits himself. In the face.

"Aghh, I should've known you hadn't gotten inside yet. Just pretend I didn't say that, alright? Nami will kill me!! Literally! She can be real scary when people ruin her plans. I mean, no- wait- what plan? You heard nothing of a plan from me! Anyways, we have to get these inside right away! Yeah, yeah- Chop to it then!!" Just upon saying that, all the remaining presents are gathered up and the man is off towards the door with no further explanation.

"Wha..- wait!!" Sanji barely manages to get out before the man is gone. Unable to process what just happened, Sanji sits himself down on the open trunk of his car. After an encounter like that, he does need a moment to think. Supposedly this all is Nami's idea? Is Nami the one who knows then? What has she done this time... he can only hope she hasn't pried too much in his personal life again. He's almost dreading going inside the house, as lovely as the place is. Either way, he's going to find out eventually so he might as well get it over with. Even if Nami knows, he was going to tell her soon so it should be fine.

With renewed confidence, Sanji picks himself back up and starts to head towards the house with gifts in tow. A tap of a button sends his car doors closing and locking. He decides to observe his surroundings as he walks. Clearly there's something waiting for him in there so he plans to take his sweet time. Maybe that can be his minor payback for giving him a brief heart attack. It is a very lovely place though. There's a garden with hedges that look trimmed and beautiful. There's potted plants all about and Christmas decorations on the house or submerged in the snow. He tugs his jacket closer to his body at the reminder of the cold.

At the door now, he still hesitates to go in. He taps the door with his foot to open in ajar as he peers around it to see nobody in sight. There's a wide interior decorated appropriately but that's about it. So, he decides to go further into the room, shutting the door behind him. From there, it's not to hard to figure out where to go. A stream of Christmas lights along walls seems to indicate the path to travel. As the tree comes into view, so do the others. He can hear Nami already. She's yelling. That's pretty normal and he doesn't know what he was expecting.

Seeing as the situation is pretty much 'all clear', Sanji head towards the living room with confidence in his stride yet again. Nothing to be concerned about! Knowing what Usopp let slip may help him prevent himself from falling into Nami's trap. Perhaps he's already a bit doomed for even coming to this party as it was via Nami's invitation but he can worry about that later. He's been spotted now anyways.

"Ah- Sanji! Glad you could make it. Go on! Set down your things under the tree." Nami says while smiling sweetly despite having punched two men on the head just before. It's almost a bit creepy but he sets into motion anyways, just not to get on her bad side so early on in the event.

Immediately upon doing as he's told, Sanji feels himself being pulled away. He doesn't need to look over to know by who. He can just feel the manicured nails digging into the sleeve of his jacket that he's still yet to remove. It's going to get real toasty if he doesn't discard it. That's not the important part though. He's walking with Nami through the hallway branching off the living room to a set of stairs. Now's the time of any to interrogate.

He starts with letting out a sigh as he easily catches up to walk in pace with Nami's frantic heel clacks. "So, what is it this time? Candle lit dinner or candle lit bedroom? You should know by now how well _that_ goes." He decides to say in a neutral tone. There's still no confirmation that Nami knows about his secret relationship. Maybe she just happens to know the name.. it could be anything!

Problem is though--  
Nami doesn't say a word.

The temptation is there to ask the question again as if she didn't hear him but he knows from years of hanging out with Nami that she's just ignoring him. He doesn't even have the time to ask again either. They've arrived at the door fairly quickly and said door is open ajar, the voices of two.. men- muttering on the other side of it. One, he'd recognize anywhere. Is that irrefutable evidence that Nami does know? Is she staging an intervention of some sort? He doesn't think he went that far with keeping this a secret.. maybe he's thought wrong.

Nami flat-out kicks the door open. If Sanji had the processing time to be impressed on top of everything, he would be-- but there in the room stands the man he's kept secret for over a year. Along with.. some stranger with a shirt open real wide. Must have been here near a fireplace a while to be that comfortable.

"Ace! I told you to keep that shirt buttoned up!!" Nami suddenly snaps, surprising Sanji a little. She storms into the room without him in tow so he decides to just stand at the doorway. Zoro's just there. He's dressed as fancy as he would dress up which includes a white dress shirt- not tucked in- and black jeans. Black boots as well- like as if he ever removes those. Over top of the outfit is his long green overcoat. Sanji's trained eyes can spot the black bandana hastily stuffed into a side pocket on his coat. 

Of course, Zoro doesn't pay this all much mind but when he looks over to maneuver out of Nami's way.. Sanji can tell he's been spotted. Zoro points at him. He shrugs and shakes his head, pointing towards Nami who pays more attention to Ace- going so far as the button up his shirt herself. It takes a second for Zoro's eyes to travel to Nami but they go back to Sanji quick after, a smirk playing on the man's lips. He mouths 'bet' and Sanji glares at him, solidly shaking his head no. Another glance at Nami shows her nearly done so Sanji cuts off the silent conversation there by shushing Zoro.

As if nothing happened, Nami spins around the face Sanji with a wide smile on her face. "Take a seat, San~ji." She says in a sing-song tone while pushing out a chair from the two person table in the center of the room.

Sanji does approach but he doesn't sit down in the chair. He sets his hands on it with Nami's hand in the middle. "Really, Nami? Another blind date plan against my knowledge? Who's the lucky lady this time?" He says in a low tone so as to not be heard- higher chance of getting an answer.

Her response is to remove her hand with a scowl-ish pout. Though Sanji does watch as her eyes dart to Zoro before returning to him. For a moment, it seems like she's just going to leave without an answer but she moves closer, returning the low voice. "No lady this time. Women didn't seem to be working." She returns shortly before turning a pointed finger at Zoro. "Zoro! Sit or I'll increase your debt by ten percent!" She nearly shouts.

That being said, Nami heads to the door without a second thought- knowing that Zoro would begrudgingly sit himself down at the table across from Sanji. Nami reaches the door and looks over her shoulder at the two. "Have fun you two~!" She says before shutting the door.. probably locking it as well but none of them intend to check it.

For a second, there's silence. The previously shirtless man is surprisingly the first person to set into action. Despite the situation, he smiles kindly and even laughs a bit. He must be good friends with Zoro because the man in question squints at him when he starts laughing. Sanji decides to take a seat while that's happening, setting his napkin into his lap as if this is a regular occurrence- which it is but nobody needs to know that yet.

"Sorry, sorry.. this is just hilarious. Nami always finds a way to make celebrations more exciting and, hey, this could be good for the both of you." The man named Ace says as he looks between the two of them. There's a pause before he shifts some apron around his waist and points over his shoulder to a push door with no handle. "I'll go talk to the kitchen staff about your food. If you have any requests, I'm Ace- as you know or heard- and I hope you enjoy!" He says with a slight tip of his head before going through the door to, what Sanji sees at a glance, a busy kitchen staff.

Sanji sets his elbow onto the table and props his head on the hand of that arm, watching Ace leave but looking to Zoro the moment he does. A grin takes to his lips when they meet eyes. "Safe." He simply says and they both know the meaning there.

Zoro scoffs before laughing quietly behind his hand in a way that Sanji's always found precious. "You got lucky this time, swirly brows." The man before him responds. "You know.. there's still a chance that you could lose this. The witch is one of your friends, right? If she finds out, that's $150 lost." Zoro taunts.

"Where did you get that number?" Sanji mutters under his breath. "Anyways, it's not like she will. That Ace guy is a friend of _yours_ , right?" He starts to say, tugging out a cigarette to place on his lips- he's not going to light it in someone's home though. "We both have a chance of losing this bet here. And you already owe Nami a lot of money, don't you?" Sanji taunts back. After all, two can play that game.

Unfortunately for Zoro, there's no time for a witty retort as the door to the side swings open again. The first thing Sanji notices is a tray with wine bottles and smaller trays with covers. As if he can tell what's under the lids. What Zoro notices first is a lot different from what Sanji notices though, as he's soon to find out.

"What'd he try to nab this time?" Comes a question Sanji wasn't expecting. He turns his eyes to Zoro curiously before following his line of sight to the fact that Ace is behind this new man who appears to be the chef looking rather guilty. 

The man with the pompadour looks at Ace over his shoulder and just tsks. "Nothing yet but he nearly got to a course in the meal plan. He was strictly instructed _not_ to enter the kitchen yet he did anyways. Honestly! What am I going to do with him? Marco's not even here to keep watch of him." He talks of Ace like he isn't even there- who looks like a kicked puppy as result. 

Zoro lets out a soundless chuckle with a smirk. Gods, he's handsome... -and he's staring again. Self-control, Sanji!

 

The chef, who Sanji learned from further conversation between the others goes by Thatch, hands the large tray over to Ace who fumbles with it for a moment in surprise. "Hurry up and redeem yourself before I call your boyfriend back from holiday. I've got more dishes to cook." He says simply, leaving almost straight after. 

Ace seems to regain his confidence once the other man is gone and actually looks proud of himself. He tugs out an apple from a pocket on his apron and grins. So, he must be one of the friends Nami gets food for as a gift. "Don't tell him, alright? One apple won't be missed." He says. 

The apple is set back down into it's hiding place as the man approaches, taking plates off the tray to set down on the table. Drinks are poured and eventually they're left to their own again. This time, Ace goes off through another door. Sanji's almost curious to find out what he'll sneak off with there. Though, for now, he'll just focus on his impromptu date. Who has already started eating. Charming, as always.

"You know we have to come up with a plan." Sanji states as if it's obvious. His knife and fork in hand as he starts to cut up the steak before him. By this point, his unlit cigarette has been set back into it's box to be discarded later. He's wasted a cigarette but it's fine. 

Zoro's eyes rise before they go off to the side with a grunt and Sanji thinks that'll be the only response he'll get out of him for a moment. Then he leans back, food left alone for the time being but drink being taken up from it's resting spot. "Yeah, I'm thinking." He says before unceremoniously downing some of the wine.

"Don't hurt yourself." Sanji mutters as he takes up his own wine glass, smiling and taking a sip when Zoro calls out 'hey' in offense.

Wine glasses are set down almost simultaneously and, from the looks of things, Zoro is still thinking. He often can have impressive ideas so Sanji's resigned to letting him think it out. To be fair, Zoro likely knows all the people at this event better than Sanji does so he kinda has to rely on the man here. Suddenly, he feels a hand on his and looks up to see Zoro looking to him with a hint of concern.

"You alright?" He asks as simply as ever.

Sanji shifts his hand to hold Zoro's better and smiles back reassuringly. "I'm good. Just thinking about your friends here." He replies.

"Would you like to meet them?" Zoro returns, reading him like a book.

In return, Sanji chuckles and releases Zoro's hand to pat it. "Of course, I'd love to.." He starts. "... _After_ we get them off our back. You afford me at least that. I'm expecting full introductions. Maybe some flashcards." He goes onto say, leaning back in his chair.

It's Zoro's turn to chuckle as he returns his hand back to himself. "Flashcards- probably not, but I'll introduce you from a distance. Do you wanna know the plan now?" 

"You already have a plan? I mean, yes, I'd like to hear it- what are you an idiot?"

"I  _was_ giving you more time to enjoy someone else's cooking for once but sure I'll tell you. First, we have to..-"

Discussion continues in low voices.

 

A few more courses down and it's time to set the plan into action. Sanji is the first to get up, hands set down on the table as the chair skids back. "I don't know why I even decided to go with this. I like women-  _women_ _!_ Not no good brutes like you.. marimo head." He snaps out, pulling out all the stops in the acting department. Gotta make this seem real, after-all.

As planned, Zoro stands up as well in a similar quick motion except his chair falls back to the floor to alert others in the area to listen in. "Oi! It's not like I agreed to this either so why are you yelling at me? Blame the damn witch who set this up. Go yell at her- or do you have too much of a woman fetish to man up in front of one? Dart brow." 

Ouch.  
Zoro mouths an apology.

"Her name is Nami! Do you need me to spell it out for you to get it? N.A.M.I. She's ten times the person you'll ever amount to be, asshole. Do you know how much money she likely spent setting all this up? I only stuck around so long to appreciate her effort as well as the chefs-" It's about there when the door unlocks and Nami comes rushing through.

"Both of you- shut up!" She shouts as she delivers a punch to both of their heads.

Sanji sits himself back in his seat but Zoro stays standing, looking off to the side as if bored. When Nami leans down to Sanji's level, Zoro looks over but only for a moment. "I'm sorry this didn't turn out too hot- I'll try better next time? Go back downstairs for now. I need to talk to Zoro more about debt." She says quietly, sounding really genuine in her distress. Sanji knows she only ever has the best intentions when trying to find him love. He feels bad for lying to her now so he decides not to and just nods- standing up and leaving the room wordlessly.

Once he's out of the room, he gets a text message. It's from Zoro and only has the thumbs up emoji. I guess that's supposed to mean they're all clear? He starts texting back as he heads down the stairs. He doesn't want to go the whole party without seeing Zoro at all so they need to coordinate when to be in the same room. Call Sanji sentimental but he wants to spend the Christmas in the arms of his lover at any opportunity he can.

The rest of the event goes on relatively normally from that point onward. Sanji meets a lot of Nami's friends and even the brother of Zoro's friend- a person who he finds out to be another food fanatic. Despite Nami's warnings, he can't help but talk about his career as a chef and that immediately gives away who he is as he did bring his own baked goods to the party. Luffy- as he found out- has a stomach worthy of comparison to a black hole.

At some point, Sanji has to borrow the kitchen and cooking supplies of the home owner- Kaya, a sweet and lovely woman- to restock them. He uses extra caution to keep them away from Luffy this time around. Zoro stuck around in the kitchen for small talk as he baked and the company really did him a lot of good. He was nearing the point of going out to have a cigarette in all the commotion this group brings.

The gift exchange turns out to be super fun and it really shows the personalities of the people he's surrounded himself with. By the end of the party, he acquires a cooking book he's never had before from one of Nami's close friends- another beautiful woman named Robin- and some weird ceramic rooster statue. Along with that are the promises of more gifts the next year he comes around and apologies with that. Needless to say, he has a lot more contacts in his phone following this interaction.

 

By the end of the night, Sanji finds himself up on the roof of the manor. Apparently the group all decides to sleep over together in the same house on Christmas eve to wake up together on Christmas day to open presents together like a family. It's honestly adorable and he's honored to have been accepted to do that with them as well if he wants to. He hasn't verbalized his decision on that yet but he already knows his answer.

Snow sprinkles through the air around him and the smoke of his breaths leave with the smoke of his cigarette in the same motion. It's moments like these that Sanji finds his peace. He leans back on a part of the roof with his eyes shut, embracing the cold and the light of the moon. He almost doesn't notice as a man approaches to sit down next to him.. though he does hold his hand out ready for another to take it.

"Does this remind you of anything, Zoro?" He questions out to the air as a hand takes his.

Sanji feels a weight rest against his side and looks over to see Zoro sitting next to him. The other man hums with thought for a moment and brings up their intertwined hands to his lips to kiss the back of Sanji's hand. One eye shut as he looks to Sanji as well, smirk on his lips.

"I don't know.. does it?" Zoro says lowly before leaning closer to Sanji's ear. "I think you need to remind me." He then says quietly. 

First of all, how dare he-

Sanji elbows him in the side to hide the fact that actually made him blush and feels a sense of victory at the pained grunt that gets. "Don't make it sound so suggestive, you little shit.." He mumbles out, drawing laughter out of Zoro yet again.

"I think that night was very romantic and I won't have you tarnishing the memory of it with your flirtatious ways, mister." He goes onto say but Zoro just keeps laughing. He leans against Sanji even more now and threatens to topple them both over.

So, Sanji does the obvious next best thing. He bumps shoulders with the bastard to knock him back into place and possibly stop the laughter, huffing in the process. It takes a moment but eventually Zoro's laughter dies down. It's a miracle that nobody heard him in all honesty.

"Sorry, sorry. It's just cute how much it means to you. You know I love that about you." Zoro says.

Oh, he better not be trying to win him back now. Sanji just stays quiet for a bit longer. To his surprise, Zoro takes the silence in stride. He leans back with Sanji and shuts his eyes like he had before. A moment goes by like that before Sanji finally caves.

"I love you, too." He mutters out.

"Hmm..? Did I say that?"

"Oh, shut up."

 

They share a kiss on the rooftop under the moonlight. Though it continues to snow, they stay out there for a while longer before strategizing an escape plan. Zoro leaves first after another kiss and Sanji waits another hour out there for his cigarette to burn out before retiring to the warm inside world as well. He informs Kaya and Nami that he's going to stay the night with them all after-all and Nami actually looks relieved. She drags Sanji off to the room her and Vivi decided to bunk out in to show a space made for him to join them. Another reminder that he has to tell them at some point. They watch cheesy Christmas movies and rom coms into the near AM hours while talking about love.

 

~~~ THE END ~~~

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> == FOLLOWING THE END SCENE ==
> 
> Usopp sits in full winter gear on the branch of a large tree situated outside a window. For some reason, he's staring in shock up to the roof and Kaya notices this as she enters her room for the night. She had been looking for him everywhere but she should've figured he'd be there waiting for her. Something appears to be wrong though..
> 
> She approaches the window and pushes it open, worrying for a moment how long Usopp has been out there in the cold. "Usopp, is everything alright?" She calls out.
> 
> Usopp slowly looks over to Kaya as though broken out of some shock. His eyes are wide and he still seems almost frozen. This increases Kaya's worry.
> 
> "Usopp? What's wrong? You're going to catch a cold if you stay out there!" She decides to push further.
> 
> Usopp finally regains his composure and the first thing he does is laugh nervously. "S-Sorry for worrying you Kaya! It's nothing! Nothing at all. I just wanted to surprise you! Yeah! My Santa costume is late in shipping so the plan was slightly ruined there but I still have an early Christmas present for you. May I come in?" Usopp says a bit quickly.
> 
> Though a bit confused, Kaya chuckles a bit and moves away from the window enough to give Usopp enough space to enter.. so, he does.
> 
> \-- In all actuality though, Usopp happened to find himself witnessing an intimate moment between two people who supposedly hate each other and he doesn't know what to think or do about it. But he's not just going to tell Kaya that!

**Author's Note:**

> [End note for the first oneshot]
> 
> Spoiler Alert: Zeff and the other cooks of the Baratie were definitely the one to invite Zoro to the event to get the two of them hooked up. Sanji overworks himself and they needed to get him a life away from the restaurant.
> 
> Zoro got a call from Zeff and literally moved his life out to be nearer to Sanji. He still has his jobs in another town over but he dedicated himself to get up earlier to drive the hour to his work places and return because I mean what's Zoro without a bit of minor suffering on the daily?
> 
> Anyways, this has been my first attempt at writing in a while. I hope you liked it and hopefully there will be more to come in the future!


End file.
